Here be Dragons.

Seo nathair-sgiatach

Seo nathair-sgiatach

Here be Dragons

Who am I?

How to know the unknowable?

Each stone is my story, my body.

But it’s not me.

My DNA connects me to this place – to Orkney. I’m drawn here.

But not there.

Here are my mother’s roots.

But I’ve grown into something else. Branches written deep. Leaves blowing far.

Who am I? Chi sono?

This is what I am.

Her være dragger.

Here be dragons.

In 2016 I created a body of work, “Chi sono?” (The Carnegie Gallery and Glenhyrst Gallery). It was an labour of love and research into my father’s Sicilian ancestry as well as my own. Neglected in that exhibition was my mother’s heritage - that of the Orkney Islands, an archipelago above Scotland. It is an area rich in Neolithic history and Viking incursions. The Orcadians once spoke a language of their own called Norn which is now considered a dead language and the modern Orcadians speak a version of Scottish intermixed with Norse words.

My work draws inspiration from the rugged, wind-swept landscape of Orkney and its connection to the Neolithic past, to my ancestry, and the enduring myths that shape our understanding of time and place. Orkney, with its ancient stones rising from the earth and its rich history of human settlement, serves as both a physical and spiritual canvas for exploration of identity and legacy.

I am particularly captivated by the Neolithic monuments—the Stones of Stenness, Maeshowe, and Skara Brae—which stand as silent witnesses to the lives of those who came before us. These stones are not merely archaeological artifacts but living symbols of continuity, marking the passage of thousands of years. Their alignment with the sun, moon, and stars reflects a deep reverence for the cosmos, reminding us of our place in the universe and the cyclical nature of life. I seek to capture this ancient relationship between people and the natural world, to invoke the mysteries that once animated these structures.

Ancestry is at the heart of my creative process. The knowledge that my lineage may trace back to the very people who walked among these stones fills me with a sense of belonging, a connection to a forgotten past that still echoes in the present. Through my art, I attempt to bridge the gap between modernity and prehistory, between the individual and the collective memory of the landscape. I use organic materials—stone, earth, and water—to evoke the tactile experience of the Neolithic builders who shaped Orkney’s land. These materials speak of endurance and decay, of the passage of time that both erases and preserves.

In Orkney, myth and reality intertwine seamlessly. The island’s rich folklore, from selkies to sea gods, reflects the same reverence for the elements that the Neolithic people expressed through their monuments. My art embraces these myths, using them as metaphors for the human experience of loss, transformation, and survival. These ancient stories allow us to glimpse the mindset of a people whose lives were ruled by the rhythms of nature and the stories they told to make sense of their world.

Ultimately, my work is an invitation to reflect on our own ancestry, the stories we inherit, and the landscapes we inhabit. Through the lens of Orkney’s Neolithic past and its living myths, I seek to explore the timeless connections between people and place, history and myth, the material and the mystical. As we stand on the shoulders of those who built and believed before us, we are reminded that our lives, too, are part of an ancient and ongoing narrative.

2016/2024

Seo nathair- sgiatach

SHOW-EE NA-HAIR SKI-AH-HACH